Smoking accessory



Jan. 17, 1956 Filed Nov. 2, 1953 R. W. HALL SMOKING ACCESSORY 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 '5 Y w g 5 5 7 R0 lNVEwo ie T a 1 BY %z/% W AGENT Jan. 17, 1956 w, HALL 2,731,020

SMOKING ACCESSORY Filed Nov. 2, 1953 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG .7.

ROY W. HALL INVENTOR.

BY M1 AGENT SMOKHNG ACCESSORY Roy W. Hall, 92k Park, Ill.

Application November 2, 1953, Serial No. 389,674

4 Claims. (Cl. 131-235) The present invention relates to smoking accessories, in particular, ash trays. More in particular, the invention concerns devices adapted to support cigarettes in burning condition and to extinguish them after they burn a while without being picked up.

The invention introduces an improvement in ash trays which can be conveniently adapted to or incorporated in ash trays to provide a special resting place for cigarettes which will allow the burning cigarettes to drop automatically after they have burned a short time and direct the burning ends into an extinguishing aperture.

In accordance with the invention, a device is provided which is adapted to extinguish burning cigarettes-and save them, which device comprises a pair of spaced peaks or apices as resting places, extending in substantially horizontal alignment, a pair of grooves extending downwardly towards each other from said spaced peaks and a tubular conformation extending downwardly from the end of one of said grooves.

Accordingly it is an object of the invention to provide a smoking accessory which may be incorporated in an ash tray and which, in addition, helps to extinguish a newly lighted cigarette if the smoker fails to pick it up in order to continue smoking and which directs it into a tubular opening where it is extinguished.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a smoking accessary which not only saves cigarettes but also aids in avoiding unnecessary smoke in the air and eliminates as much as possible the unpleasant odor of laid aside cigarettes by extinguishing unnecessarily burning cigarettes and enclosing the ends thereof.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description with reference to the appended drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a top view of a tray including two supporting devices incorporating the principle of my invention;

Fig. 2 is a view along section line 22 of Fig. 1 illustrating important features of the supporting devices in dotted lines and by a broken-away portion;

Figs. 3 and 4 show an enlarged side view and end view, respectively, of the supporting devices shown in Figs. 1 and 2;

Fig. 5 is a top view of an ash tray incorporating the principle of the invention in another form;

Fig. 6 is a sectional view taken along line 6-6 in Fig. 5;

Fig. 7 is a top view of a different ash tray incorporating my invention, and

Fig. 8 is an end view of the device according to Fig. 7, with parts broken away.

Corresponding features or parts are identified by the same reference numerals.

In Figs. 1 to 4 there is shown an ash tray generally indicated at l. in which are placed two supporting members 2. Interengaging means 3 are provided which may be in the form of small studs projecting from the tray and mating with cavities in the supporting members to prevent sliding of these members in the tray.

nited States Patent 0 "ice The supporting members 2 define spaced elevated resting places or apices 4 which are preferably slightly indented to constitute a pair of short aligned grooves 5 which are separated by a distance which is less than the length of a cigarette in order to support a cigarette between them (as indicated at 6 in dotted lines). Downwardly extending grooves 7 are provided along the inclined opposite inner surfaces of the supporting members 2. In alignment with one of the grooves 7 there is provided a tubular conformation 8 which is of sufiicient size to receive a cigarette with a sliding fit.

If a burning cigarette is placed on the grooves 5, with the mouth end at the left portion of the device shown in Fig. 3 it is supported on top of the device until it burns to the point where the burning tip reaches one of the grooves 7. Since the ashes do not afford any support for the remaining portion of the cigarette which extends over the space between the apices 4, the cigarette drops down into the other groove 7 and owing to its weight, will be guided to slide into the tubular opening 8. The burning tip is now deprived of the necessary air to sustain combustion and will, therefore, be promptly extinguished.

The ash tray shown in Figs. 5 and 6 comprises an outer tray portion 9 and inner tray portion 10. The outer tray portion 9 is provided with a plurality of horizontal grooves 5. A corresponding number of such short grooves 5 are provided in the inner tray portion 10. If a cigarette is placed across two aligned grooves 5 in the position described above and it burns back to a point where only the ashes support the burning end, the cigarette will drop down into a groove 7 and then slide into the tubular opening 8 where it will be rapidly extinguished. Since the extinguished end is enclosed by the tubular compartment, it does not emit any noticeable offensive odor.

Figs. 7 and 8 show the invention incorporated in an ash tray in somewhat difierent form. The grooves 5 and 7 correspond substantially to grooves 5 and 7 in the other embodiments illustrated in Figs. 1 to 4 and 5 and 6, respectively, but tubular portion 8' is formed in two parts. The upper part is constituted by a recessed portion 11 defined in the inner shell 12, while the lower part of this tubular portion 8' is formed by a recess 13 in the outer tray shell 14. The inner tray shell 12 has projections 15 which extend with their ends in the grooves 7 to prevent the cigarettes from sliding through openings 8 into the lower part of shell 14, which constitutes a receptacle for the ends of smoked cigarettes. These projections 15 also help to align and better seat the upper shell 12 in the lower shell 14.

If cigarettes are located in the openings 8, they will promptly slide into the shell 16 if the upper shell is raised.

Having described my invention with reference to the embodiments illustrated in the drawings, I do not wish to be limited to these illustrated embodiments, but what I claim is:

1. Means adapted to extinguish burning cigarettes and save the extinguished ends, said means being defined by spaced grooved apices separated by a distance less than the length of a cigarette and adapted to support a burning cigarette between them and including one groove having a length not substantially exceeding the diameter of a cigarette, at least one grooved inclined surface extending downwardly from one of said apexes and a tubular conformation extending in alignment with said inclined surface and having one side defined by a continuation of said surface, said tubular conformation being adapted to receive the end of said burning cigarette with a sliding fit upon sufiicient burning of said cigarette to lose its support on one said apex.

2. A device adapted to extinguish burning cigarettes and save the extinguished ends, comprising a pair of spaced grooves separated by a distance less than the length of a cigarette extending in substantially horizontal alignment and including one groove having a length not substantially exceeding the diameter of a cigarette, a pair of grooves extending downwardly towards each other from said spaced grooves, and a tubular conformation extending in alignment with one of said grooves and having one side defined by a continuation of one of said grooves, said device being adapted to support a cigarette in said spaced grooves with the mouth end proximate that groove which is in alignment with said tubular conformation to permit sliding of the cigarette into said conformation upon suflicient burning of the other end of the cigarette to lose its support on the opposite spaced groove.

3. A device adapted to extinguish burning cigarettes and save the extinguished ends, comprising a pair of spaced grooves extending in substantially horizontal alignment and including one groove having a length not substantially exceeding the diameter of a cigarette, a pair of inclined grooves separated by a distance less than the length of a cigarette extending downwardly towards each other from said spaced grooves, and a tubular conformation adapted to receive the end of a cigarette with a sliding fit and extending in alignment with one of said inclined grooves in a manner that one side of said tubular conformation is defined by a continuation of said one inclined groove, said device being adapted to support a cigarette in said spaced grooves with the mouth end proximate that groove which is in alignment with said tubular conformation to permit sliding of the cigarette into said conformation upon sufficient burning of the cigarette to lose its support on the opposite spaced groove.

4. A device adapted to extinguish burning cigarettes and save the extinguished ends, comprising a pair of spaced grooved ledges separated by a distance less than the length of a cigarette, an inclined groove extending downwardly from one of said ledges and a tubular conformation adjacent to and comprising a linear extension of said groove and adapted to receive an end of a cigarette with a sliding fit, one of said ledges being defined on the outer wall of an ash tray and the other of said ledges being defined on an insert member adapted for support in said ash tray, and said tubular conformation being defined by mating grooves in said ash tray and in said insert member said device being adapted to support a cigarette on said spaced grooved ledges with the butt end in such a position that it will enter the tubular conformation upon sufiicient burning to lose its support, fall and slide into said tubular conformation and to permit dislodging of a butt from one of said mating grooves into the tray bottom upon separation of said insert from said ash tray.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNTTED STATES PATENTS D. 123,318 Wright, Jr Get. 29, 1940 2,374,442 Lulham April 24, 1945 2,435,687 Latin Feb. 10, 1948 2,535,768 White Dec. 26, 1950 2,644,466 Jennings July 7, 1953 FOREIGN PATENTS 171,063 Great Britain Nov. 10, 1921 629,810 Great Britain Sept. 28, 1949 

